Perfectly Fine
by Extraordinarily Extraordinary
Summary: "She was more than fine. She was perfectly happy, perfectly content, perfectly healthy. She felt perfect." Post-ep for 'Always', contains spoilers. Rated T just in case.


**A/N: There was a young girl, sitting in Science, watching a movie she'd seen before. She was blankly staring at the screen, not taking it in at all when an idea popped into her mind. She rummaged through her bag, found a few scraps of paper and a pen and started to write. This is what she came up with:**

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She opened her eyes and took in the scene surrounding her. For a brief moment, she forgot what had happened. But a smile grew on her face as the events of the previous day - and night - flooded back into her mind. Tough the smile on her face was probably more because of the man lying beside her.

"Morning," he whispered as she opened her eyes and set her gaze on him.

"Morning," she whispered back, the smile never once leaving her face.

"What do you want to do today?" he asked her quietly, reaching to lightly rest his hand on her cheek. He pulled it back almost immediately after touching and said, "Geez, Kate, you're burning up!"

"I'm fine," she shook her head. She opened her mouth to protest more but was cut off by a tickle in her nose, threatening a sneeze is she spoke. She tried to hold it back best she could but the urge won and she sneezed. Not once, not twice, but four times.

"That is _not_ fine," he sighed. "Kate, how long were you in the rain before coming here last night?"

"I don't know Rick, a while? I left the precinct, went home and changed and then left pretty much straight after that. But, really, Castle, I'm fine," Kate rolled her eyes. "I am perfectly fine."

Then she sneezed again. And again. And one more time.

One look of disbelief from Castle made Kate sigh and say, "Okay, so maybe I'm not _perfectly _fine."

"Kate, you're sick," he said. "I'm going to get you some meds and tea. You stay here and relax, maybe put some more clothes on?"

Had she been feeling better, that would have caused a blush to rise to her cheeks but her face was so flushed that, had a blush come, it would not have been visible anyway.

Rick went straight to his kitchen and started the kettle, boiling water for her tea. While it boiled and bubbled, he went to the medicine cabinet in the bathroom and dug for something that would help her.

He was stirring her tea when it occurred to him that offering her coffee would have been a better idea, more symbolic, but he knew that tea was a much better option when you were sick. He was about to return, hot cup of tea in hand, when the phone rang.

Sighing, he put the mug down and reached for the phone, "Hello?"

"Hey Castle," it was Ryan. "Is Beckett there? She's not answering her home phone or cell?"

"Yes, she's here," Castle admitted.

"Oh, good, I thought she was just avoiding me. I kinda messed up a bit, told Gates about the case," Ryan sighed in relief. "Both her and Espo are mad at me."

"Well, if you hadn't, who knows what would have happened, right?" Castle reminded him. "She's here but she's not feeling great so she won't be in today."

"Couldn't come in anyway," Ryan said.

"What? Why not?" Castle asked, leaning against the wall.

"She and Esposito were suspended," he told him and Castle blanched. _Suspended? _"But then she quit instead."

"She did what?" Castle was shocked, surprised, outraged even. "But then, why are you looking for her?"

"Gates told me to call and tell her that her resignation was not approved and, if she is really serious about quitting, she'll have to fill out all the proper paperwork," Castle could hear the smile in Ryan's voice. "Otherwise, she's expected to return in ten days."

"Thanks," Castle said. "And tell the captain that she's going to think about it but you can most likely expect to see her in ten days, ready for work."

"Will do Castle," he said and almost hung up. "Wait, Castle?"

"Yeah?"

"Take care of her, alright? Tell her I'm sorry and I'll see you _both _in ten days," Ryan said and then he hung up the phone.

Castle placed his phone back down and grabbed the tea, rushing back to his room. He felt a little guilty about taking so long to return. But the guilt was gone when he got to his room and found her asleep, again, dressing in his clothes since hers were still wet from the rain, lights on.

"Kate?" he whispered, leaning over to slightly, ever-so-slightly, shake her awake. "Kate? Wake up, come on Kate."

She stirred a little and opened her eyes, smiling for a second time at the sight of him.

"Hey," she whispered and took her mug. "Thanks."

"No problem," he said.

She took the mug to her lips and took a sip. Closing her eyes, she grinned and said, "Thank you, Castle."

"You said that already," he reminded her.

"I said it before about the tea," she said, smiling at him. Her smile made his heart flutter with excitement that this was all real and not a dream. "But thank you for _everything._"

"No problem," he said again, settling down into the bed so they were right next to each other. "You should sleep, Kate."

"And you should leave," she sighed. When she saw the shock and fear on his face, she added, "So you don't get sick, I mean."

"If I'm going to get sick, it's already in my system. We spent the night together, Kate, but I _don't_ get sick so don't worry about me," he told her.

"I don't get sick either," she reminded him. "And yet, here we are."

Oh, how he loved the sound of her saying _we. _

"But I didn't spend a good portion of yesterday sitting in the rain," he chuckled. "_You_ did."

She rolled her eyes and leaned back against the headboard, knowing there was no way she was going to win this one. He was right, leaving now would do no help. If he was going to get sick, it was already in his system. Not to mention that she didn't actually want him to leave. She was quite enjoying spending time in his company, on his bed.

They sat in silence for a while, not speaking. There was the occasional slurp of tea or cough from Kate. There was the absent-minded rubbing his hand with her thumb or him running his hands through her hair in a casual way that made her feel like she was in heaven.

"Ryan called," he said after a while.

"Here?" she asked. "Why?"

"He was looking for you," Rick said. "He couldn't reach you at home or on your cell."

"Well, my cell is somewhere downstairs...I think," she laughed. "What did he want?"

"He wanted to say sorry," he said and Beckett smiled slightly. She wasn't mad anymore. He had done the right thing, even though she hadn't realized at the time. "And that if you are really serious about quitting, you have to do the paperwork. And if you aren't, you're back at work in ten days."

She was silent.

"Why didn't you tell me you resigned?" he asked softly.

"I kind of had other things on my mind, Castle," she answered. "But I told Gates that I resign. She won't take me back."

Castle shook his head, "Nope. Ryan said it was Gates who told him to call you. Guess she wasn't too happy about you leaving either."

"Really?" she smiled. "Well, I guess that's it then, right? I'll go back in ten days and you'll come with me."

"About that," he said slowly, a smile hidden beneath his serious face. "I don't know. I don't know how helpful I would be, you're too distracting."

She smiled and rolled her eyes at his antics, "I need you there, Castle."

"Oh, well if _you_ need me," he teased and leaned over to kiss her forehead. "You don't feel as warm as before."

"That's good," she said. "But, Castle, seriously..."

"I'll go back in ten days with you," he said. "I already told Ryan we'd both be back in ten days."

"What would I do without you?" she laughed and leaned to kiss his lips.

It was a passionate but calm kiss, slowly working from a peck to more. He pulled her closer to him and she didn't hesitate, happy she'd put her mug down already. He wrapped his arms around her and her hands found his hair.

When they finally broke apart, both panting for air but both smiling wider than they had in a long time, they remained in each other's arms.

"I love you," he whispered so softly he wasn't sure she'd heard it.

"I know," she said. She took a breath and said the words that had been stuck in her throat for months, that had been constricting her lungs since her shooting, "I love you too." And with those words finally off her chest, she was fine. She was more than fine. She was perfectly happy, perfectly content, perfectly healthy. She felt perfect.

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**A/N: I don't own a thing. Andrew Marlowe and ABC do. Hope you like, please review!**


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